Brie Larson Starred Alongside A TV Legend In This Forgotten 2000s Sitcom

One way or another, Brie Larson was destined to be a star. She made her television debut at the age of eight on an episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and somehow didn't run screaming from the business right then and there. 17 years later, she'd climb the steps of the Dolby Theatre stage to accept the Best Actress Oscar for her harrowing performance in Lenny Abrahamson's (sorta-not-really true story-based) "Room," thus proving Jay Leno doesn't actually ruin everything.

Larson first hit my radar with her perky portrayal of Kate Gregson, the daughter of Toni Collette's titular character (a woman with dissociative identity disorder) on Diablo Cody's terrific Showtime series "The United States of Tara." Then, in 2010, she gave two stunning supporting performances in Noah Baumbach's "Greenberg" and Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," only to follow those up with memorable appearances in "21 Jump Street," "Short Term 12" (a lovely independent drama from "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" director Destin Daniel Cretton), and "The Spectacular Now."

"Room" was the coronation, but before she built up that head of steam, Larson co-starred in a sitcom with a stand-up comedy legend. It went nowhere, but she did get to touch the hem of Bob Saget's garment on "Raising Dad," and that was a blessing. The timing, however, was rotten.

"Raising Dad" had the grave misfortune to premiere on October 5, 2001. This was less than a month after the September 11 terrorist attacks and two days prior to the United States beginning military operations in Afghanistan. Most people were glued to the cable news networks in anticipation of hellfire payback. This was not the time to debut a new sitcom. Yes, people would need a distraction, but most people were still on edge.

Bob Saget was a very familiar face who was responsible for many iconic moments, but if he wasn't introducing clips where people sustained non-serious crotch injuries on "America's Funniest Home Videos", or playing Danny Tanner on ABC's TGIF mainstay "Full House," his TV ratings value was uncertain. That said, "Raising Dad" had an intriguing pedigree in that it was created by Jonathan Katz, whose animated "Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist" was a critically acclaimed gem.

The show starred Saget as a widowed high school English teacher trying to raise his two young daughters (Brie Larson and Kat Dennings) with the assistance of his father Sam (Jerry Adler) — who, like another famous TV Sam, used to play for the Boston Red Sox. Saget's character is very much like he was in real life: friendly, caring, and uproariously funny. His biggest challenge was dealing with Dennings' embarrassment at having her dad teach at her high school, but he also had to contend with Adler's efforts to get the younger Larson to skip school and go to ballgames with him.

Alas, the reviews were savage, with most critics aghast that Saget and Katz had devised such a banal, heart-tugging sitcom. Most had kind words for the cast, but the show's Nielsen numbers were in the toilet, and it was canceled after its first season. This was an inauspicious start for Larson, but, as we know now, she had plenty of room to grow.